Question

Excel: How can you restrain text from flowing into adjacent blank cells?

I use Excel to list my inventory for an online auction site. When you type in text that is longer than the width of the cell (say,cell B2), the text will spill over into the adjacent cell (B3) if it is blank. This makes it very difficult to tell at a glance if I have left cells blank that need to be filled in. I do not want to resort to "text wrap." Is there a way to restrain the text to its own cell?

All Answers

With Excel 2007 & previous versions....

--> right click the desired cell/row/column--> select format cells--> select the alignment tab--> select the fill option in the dropdown list for horizontal

I don't have 2010 to try it on it but I suspect it works on it as well.

Edited to add.....Granted this will fill the cell with whatever is entered in it (if you have 34 entered in the cell, it will fill the cell with 343434.... until the cell is filled) but the actual value of the cell remains what was entered in it (34) so it will work in formulas etc.

To just ceck for empty cells visually, just select the entire sheet....change the formatting....find the cells....then turn off the formatting.

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